Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0300 123 1231 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs L Hodgson Headteacher Bow Community Primary School Station Road Bow Crediton EX17 6HU

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social and health education (PSHE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 9 February 2011 to look at work in PSHE.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ work; and observation of five lessons and an assembly led by the learning council.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The overall effectiveness of PSHE is satisfactory.

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Achievement in PSHE education

 Pupils make good progress in developing personal and social skills. They are polite, courteous, play well together and show respect for the school and each other. Older pupils are developing good initiative and self- presentation skills as seen in the assembly they led.  Pupils have a sound understanding of how to live healthy and safe lives. They know what makes a healthy diet and understand the importance of fruit and vegetables. They are aware of the importance of exercise and participate enthusiastically in the range of opportunities provided for them.  Pupils have good awareness of the physical and emotional changes that occur at puberty.  Pupils feel safe and well supported and know how to keep themselves safe in and outside school. They have a good understanding of why bullying is wrong and how to prevent it. Older pupils know about e-safety and cyber- bullying.  Knowledge of the dangers of drugs and alcohol is less well developed and

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Achievement in PSHE education

variable because pupils do not learn in any detail about these aspects until Year 6.  Older pupils feel well prepared for the next stage in their education and have enjoyed the enterprise activities they have undertaken. However, they have less knowledge about the world of work and their understanding of personal finance and managing their pocket money is more limited.

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Quality of teaching in PSHE

The quality of teaching in PSHE is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching in PSHE

 The high levels of care, guidance and support for pupils contribute significantly to pupils’ achievement. Teachers know the pupils and their families well and act as good role models.  Relationships between teachers and pupils are positive and purposeful, so pupils are secure and cooperative. Teachers are encouraging and manage behaviour well so that pupils behave well and enjoy learning.  However, learning objectives for PSHE lessons are not always clear or appropriate. The tasks set are not always carefully planned or well- matched to the abilities and needs of the pupils.  Teachers do not all have the expertise to structure group work effectively or to handle sensitive issues confidently.  Formal assessment and recording of pupils’ progress are at an early stage of development, although reports are sent to parents.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

The quality of the curriculum in PSHE is good.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

 The curriculum gives pupils outstanding opportunities to practise and apply their PSHE learning in a range of enhancement activities, including being members of the active school council and playground leaders. Pupils are proud of their responsibilities and carry them out well.  The Healthy Schools award has made a beneficial contribution by increasing the number of health-related activities across the school, especially the positive play activities at break and lunchtime.  Good use is made of a range of external agencies and visits to enhance the PSHE curriculum and make learning more interesting and fun.  The PSHE curriculum is broad and coverage is balanced well between discrete lessons, cross-curricular themes, and assemblies. However, the planning for PSHE tends to focus on the development of skills and lacks emphasis on pupils acquiring knowledge and understanding in all strands of the subject.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

 The curriculum meets the needs of vulnerable pupils effectively through targeted activities such as a social skills group and a movement group where these pupils receive extra help.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

Leadership and management in PSHE are good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

 The school has been through some staffing difficulties recently. However, PSHE has maintained a high profile in the school and is promoted effectively by you and the temporary subject coordinator. Staff are very clear that the personal well-being of learners is crucial if pupils are to thrive and make the most of their opportunities in school.  The school has an accurate understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. The PSHE actions in the school development plan reflect the school’s need to review current practice.  Limited opportunities in the past for continuing professional development have meant that staff have not received training in aspects of PSHE and no one has the PSHE certificate.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 covering drugs and alcohol education in greater depth across the curriculum  ensuring that all lessons have clear learning objectives for PSHE  establishing more formal assessment of knowledge and understanding in PSHE.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop PSHE in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be published on the Ofsted website. It may be used to inform decisions about any future inspection. Except in the case of academies, a copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority.

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